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The Attacks of 26/11

The Attacks of 26/11 tries to tackle two questions - Who are these terrorists? And can we face their terror with anything but helplessness? A little tact, a few fumbles. A little beyond the obvious, a few facts edited/changed.

The Attacks of 26/11 - Preview

I find it very difficult to trust Ram Gopal Verma anymore. Despite an intriguing trailer and an engaging first seven minutes of The Attacks of 26/11, I don't feel like raising my hopes of liking a RGV product. I have to admit this is far more about his earlier films than it is about the promotional material of this film.

Also, there is this nagging feeling that I don't want to see a movie yet about how my dearest Bombay was held at ransom. Much less when the narrative seems to be embellished with songs.

I shudder at the thought of everything being over-dramatized, which is obvious even in the camera work and background score of the first seven minutes. And this is despite feeling some relief after having watched them. Maybe super-low expectations is the key here.

"What...are these people? What kind of hatred...is this?" Jt Commissioner Maria (Nana Patekar) is as baffled by the inconceivable ruthlessness of the 26/11 attacks as we were on 26 November, 2008. In another scene he's seeking help from the Central Government while the attacks are on, and his helplessness comes through with an exasperated, "I don't know what to do." The thought behind these two sentences reverberate within, even before they have been said out loud. The large space between these lines is what makes any terrorist attack what it is. Its attempt to address these lines is what makes The Attacks of 26/11 a movie worth watching.

Unprepared, untrained, unequipped - that's how any police force would be when facing a terror attack of this nature. It's not that nothing should be done to prepare, train and equip ourselves better, but an attack without any tip, is bound to catch local law enforcement off-guard - people walking around with limitless ammunition, willing to kill or die. Just like when an airplane crashes into a building or several cases of serial bombing. The first half numbs you with episodes of the 26/11 attacks one after another.

In this half though, weird camera angles, ridiculous focus on various statues (Laughing Buddha being the favorite!), loud screeching violins in the background - all annoy and distract. But the content is so close to home that you can mostly ignore them.

The body count too seems exaggerated, be it at CST station or at the Taj Hotel (even if the film uses the Taj lobby as a symbol of all who died or were injured in all other places on that day.) But, throughout you make small connects with people who you could care for - children of course, but police officers and regular by-standers. The connect is obviously because it could have been you or me or someone we know. And Ram Gopal Verma appropriately cashes in on this connect, even if with little finesse. Whether or not the film would be more human, more engaging, if in the hands of another director - I don't want to know.

In fact, that issue remains throughout. Am I connecting with the film because of the characters and how the film is narrated or is it inherent with my connect to the incident itself? Unfortunately, this is something I will never be able to answer. And this will work in the film's favor forever.

Also, I am sure there are many unsung heroes in this incident that didn't make their way into the film. Surely, there are many changes and additions to the events to provide for that bit of drama needed to make a story into a film. Way too many times in the first half, you wonder, "How do they know that happened?" because everyone involved died. Also, the film covers only the events of 26/11 and not the two days after. Yet, that is the cinematic liberty we can allow to a maker who is trying to go beyond just the occurrences of this one event.

The second half has two main scenes which bring about a balance that I didn't think a film on this event could bring about. It would be safe to say that we as a nation are not in the mood to understand the psyche of the terrorist who has the audacity of holding one of our cities at ransom. So, to try to bring about a sermon setting the right from the wrong might be considered a cop-out or brave; filmy or wise - depending on what your stand is.

Surprisingly, I found myself in awe of (lapping up) Jt Commissioner Maria's word-for-word, thought-for-thought, concept-for-concept response in his spiel. All credit to some awesome dialogue writing and an overpowering dialogue delivery. Not to mention, the thought behind the said monologue, resonates with my attitude towards any strong religious sentiment used out of context and as a justification for hideous acts. Someone said it out loud.

It doesn't matter then whether or not the Jt Commissioner actually had such a conversation in real life. Here the director is talking to us, the citizens of this country. And maybe he hopes to reach out to the oddball Jihadi who ends up watching his film.

And if that does happen, the manner in which it is done reaches the viewer's gut and Nana Patekar's performance in that one scene could be enough to warrant a watch. What a relief it is to see him not resort to his typical style, but take a more restrained route. Even without the monologue, one shot where he is offered water shows you he needs no histrionics for a good performance. Here, the close-ups are used brilliantly.

Sanjeev Jaiswal as Kasab induces enough hatred to not want to watch him in any other film again. Then again, that is more because the character is not fictional. Only a few more films will determine whether or not he is a good actor. For now, that the audience was restless whenever he was on screen and abused strongly shows that he didn't goof up.

Despite all that was good about the film, it is difficult to shake off the disgust felt when I heard that director, Ram Gopal Verma had visited the site of the attacks the day after. Insensitive of him, irresponsible of the people who allowed it to happen. The negativity that his visit had brought about, will stay forever and will always be a black mark against his product.

Yet, such films are important. If not to remind us of the difference between the fundamentals of religion and being a fundamentalist, to remind us of questions we should not stop asking our resilient selves, "Are our shores secure today?"

Thumbs up,
by Taran Adarsh,
Bollywood Hungama
:
...The film not only chronicles the terror attacks, but also pays homage to the sentiments of the people of India and especially the heroes and victims of 26/11...
full review

Thumbs up,
by Rachit Gupta,
Filmfare
:
...It’s unapologetic about its violent stance. The loud intimidating background score proves it. But more importantly the film is passionate in its recreation of a horror most people would not want to recollect....
full review

Thumbs up,
by Martin D'Souza,
Glamsham.com
:
...RGV and Eros International should dub this film in as many languages as possible. Methinks it should have an international release. ...
full review

Thumbs up,
by Gaurav Malani,
indiatimes
:
...What could have been an insightful film on the ill-fated incident almost ends up being a detached docu-drama thanks to RGV's tangential take on the attacks of 26/11....
full review

Thumbs up,
by Joginder Tuteja,
Indicine
:
...Call it a dramatic adaptation but one thing can be said for sure that reality would have been much more troubling than what one sees on screen. ...
full review

Thumbs up,
by Aishwarya,
koimoi
:
...The style of narration suits the news-mode more than the movie-mode....
full review

Thumbs up,
by Sonia Chopra,
Sify Movies
:
...Several colleagues who had covered the attacks live, were disappointed that the film was a poor representation of the actual events. That put aside, the film does manage to involve the viewer and their emotions with its raw portrayal of the attacks and powerful performances....
full review

So-So,
by Charu A Mahesh,
Buzz in Town
:
...However, scenes like the baby crying near his dead mother inside Taj or the wounded girl sobbing between a carpet of dead bodies at VT is quite spine chilling.
...
full review

So-So,
by Rony D'Costa,
Desi Martini
:
...A film like this deserved the RGV of Satya not the RGV we know now. This could have been his fight back film. Alas!...
full review

So-So,
by Nupur Barua,
fullhyd.com
:
...Ram Gopal Varma is infamous for his crazy angles and disturbing camera movements, but in The Attacks Of 26/11, he lets the visuals breathe and live....
full review

So-So,
by Swati Rohatgi,
STARDUST
:
...If that be the biggest highpoint of the film considering some of his previous works, even his representation of certain elements deserve to be lauded....
full review

So-So,
by Sudhish Kamath,
The Hindu
:
...he shows a lot more restraint in the second half and Nana Patekar single-handedly lends the film a little dignity....
full review

So-So,
by Madhureeta Mukherjee,
Times of India
:
...What RGV's re-appraisal of that injury does, is remind us that the spirit of the city is indefatigable; inspite of still bleeding hearts.
...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Anna Vetticad,
annavetticadgoes2themovies
:
...Newcomer Sanjeev Jaiswal plays Ajmal Kasab, the lone 26/11 terrorist to be caught alive. It’s hard to assess his performance, such as it is, since he’s given little to do in the film apart from resemble Kasab....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Deepa Gahlot,
cinemaah
:
...It feels like the dignity of those people who lost their lives is being violated. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Ameetbhuvan,
Desi Martini
:
...Two gruesome hours after as i walked out of the theatre, I was wondering how a film like this gets released in the screens while the censor board sits cutting songs and midriffs in scenes from other films! ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Ankur Pathak,
Desi Martini
:
...I don't want to talk about Nana Patekar because I do not understand why he'd agree to do the film in the first place. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Nikhil Arora,
Desi Martini
:
... These are distressing sequences but must I see a child crying in the middle of this mayhem while the terrorists wait and let Ramu have his dramatic moment?...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Tushar Joshi,
DNA
:
...The Attacks of 26/11 feels like a over decorated half baked dish that has the right ingredients and toppings but lacks the taste to titillate your appetite....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Deepa Deosthalee,
Film Impressions
:
... Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan should consider himself lucky he doesn’t get a mention in the film (the NSG is a mere footnote) unlike Hemant Karkare and Vijay Salaskar who are reduced to extras of the dumb filmi cop variety....
full review

Thumbs down,
by Trisha Gupta,
FirstPost
:
...The unstintingly gory recreation of these tragic deaths seems especially a pity because Varma was once gifted enough as a filmmaker to be able to grip us without it. ...
full review

Thumbs down,
by Karan Anshuman,
Mumbai Mirror
:
...But it is RGV who has the last laugh as he guilt-trips you into standing up through his reversescrolling end titles in memory of the lives lost in 26/11...
full review

Comments (6)

I'm fine with "fictional" stories on such a theme(Vishwaroop,A Wednesday etc) but i certainly have issues with real life tragedies being recreated on celluloid.That's the reason why i've never accepted even universal classics like Bombay,Black Friday and Parzania.Film-makers should stick to fictional stories like Satya,GOW,Company etc.

Anuj has posted 1145 comments and has rated 126 movies. See Anuj's page for more details.

@Anuj For me it depends on how it is done. How about movies around 9/11?

Will

This film is absolutely sick. Horror films are made for entertainment, and this film has been made in the exact style of cheap commercial horror flicks.

Using a real-life tragedy as entertainment, that is morally wrong.

Will has given this movie a Nay! Thumbs Down.
Will has posted 1 comments and has rated 1 movies. See Will's page for more details.

Harpreet

RGV did Sarkar alright but he also made Aag. So I am going to be honest but switch channels if on TV would be a better rating for this movie. Yes you can't write off a director just because he gave a flop but honestly, the 7 minute prelude was enough that this would be more about showing what actually happened (the bollywood treatment), than showing how it affected our country, lives, economy, relationship with pakistan, etc. (the usual in depth hollywood treatment).I don't wanna see men with gun shooting innocent people, I would watch Terminator or Die Hard for that.A 26/11 movie should not be ACTION/ENTERTAINMENT genre.It should be a DRAMA/DOCUMENTARY.

Harpreet Singh has given this movie a Not Interested in Watching(Not seen the movie but the prelude told me more than enough !).
Harpreet Singh has posted 23 comments and has rated 10 movies. See Harpreet Singh's page for more details.

@Harpreet I doubt he wanted it to be anything other than "what actually happened". I hear your sentiment but this is far, far from being a documentary. I wouldn't have liked a more "human" approach but for the larger theme its trying to stick to, it did well, especially in the second half.

Suman

Direction: 2.5 Story: 2 Lead Actors: 3 Character Artists: 3

Dialogues: 3.5 Screenplay: 3 Music Director: 0 Lyrics: 0

Suman has given this movie a Yay! Thumbs Up.
Suman has posted 135 comments and has rated 125 movies. See Suman's page for more details.

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